Amateur Radio Parity Act Speeds to U.S. House Passage, Heads to U.S. Senate

01/24/2017 - Just 10 days after being introduced, the 2017 Amateur Radio Parity Act legislation, H.R. 555, passed the U.S. House of Representatives this week on unanimous consent under a suspension of House rules. The bill’s language is identical to that of the 2015 measure, H.R. 1301, which won House approval late last summer after attracting 126 co-sponsors, but failed to clear the U.S. Senate last fall as the 114th Congress wound down. The new bill, again sponsored by Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), was introduced on January 13 with initial co-sponsorship by Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) and Rep. Greg Walden, W7EQI (R-OR), who chairs the influential House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

New “Amateur Radio Parity Act” Bill Introduced in US House of Representatives

01/16/2017 - H.R. 555 — a new “Amateur Radio Parity Act” bill — has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill’s language is identical to that of the 2015 measure, H.R. 1301, which passed in the House late last summer but failed in the waning days of the US Senate to gain the necessary support. As with H.R. 1301, the new measure introduced on January 13 in the 115th Congress was sponsored by Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), with initial co-sponsorship by Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) and Rep. Greg Walden, W7EQI (R-OR). Walden now chairs the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, to which the new bill has been referred. H.R. 555 will get an initial airing in the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. When H.R. 1301 came up in committee, Walden spoke forcefully in favor of the measure, which ultimately attracted 126 House cosponsors.

C.A.R.S. is now an ARRL Special Services Club!!! August 16, 2016 club meeting.

Joe Shupienis (W3BC), ARRL Affiliated Club Coordinator, was at the August 2016 club meeting to give a short presentation on ARRL updates, but most importantly to present the club with our certificate and banner to be recognized as an ARRL Special Services Club (SSC).

New Extra Question Pool to take Effect July 1.July 1, 2016 a new Element 4 Amateur Extra class question pool will take effect for examinations. VECs and VEs will have new test designs available for use at exam sessions effective that date.

C.A.R.S. in the Meadville Tribune!! - Radio Heads - Amateur radio operators broadcast for bragging rights in annual contest/drill

Photo Credit: RYLIE STEINER/Meadville Tribune

The rainy weather typical of Meadville did not put a damper on the spirits and dedication of the area’s amateur radio enthusiasts as they huddled in a picnic shelter and a repurposed trailer this past weekend at Roche Park. These members of the Crawford Amateur Radio Society hope to win an annual contest and improve the skills of an underrated but important group of community volunteers.

FCC “Paperless” Amateur Radio License Policy Goes into Effect on February 17 2015

[UPDATED 2015-01-29 1939 UTC] Starting February 17 2015, the FCC no longer will routinely issue paper license documents to Amateur Radio applicants and licensees. The Commission has maintained for some time now that the official Amateur Radio license authorization is the electronic record that exists in its Universal Licensing System (ULS), although the FCC has continued to print and mail hard copy licenses. In mid-December the FCC adopted final procedures to provide access to official electronic authorizations, as proposed in WT Docket 14-161 as part of its “process reform” initiatives.

The FCC is eliminating the regulatory fee to apply for an Amateur Radio vanity call sign. The change will not go into effect, however, until required congressional notice has been given. This will take at least 90 days. As the Commission explained in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Report and Order, and Order (MD Docket 14-92 and others), released May 21, it’s a matter of simple economics.

Crawford Amateur Radio Emergency Services (C.A.R.E.S.)

The Crawford County Emergency Services coordinator, WW3S Jamie, has requested that everyone that is interested in Amateur Radio Emergency Services (A.R.E.S.)/Crawford Amateur Radio Emergency Services (C.A.R.E.S.) or those that have registered in the past to please fill out the form at this link. You can bring it to the next club meeting or return it to his email account.

What is Skywarn & how to get involved?

The effects of severe weather are felt every year by many Americans. To obtain critical weather information, NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, established SKYWARN® with partner organizations. SKYWARN® is a volunteer program with nearly 290,000 trained severe weather spotters. These volunteers help keep their local communities safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to the National Weather Service.

What is A.R.E.S.?

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment, with their local ARES leadership, for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes.

What is R.A.C.E.S.

The Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) is a standby radio service provided for in Part 97.407 of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules and regulations governing amateur radio in the United States.

What is A.C.S.

The Alternate Communications System (ACS) is a program created by the government's disaster and emergency management office to supplement its emergency communications with unpaid staff. The ACS combines and maximizes the readiness and effective use of part time communications resources; e.g., RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service), ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service), CAP (Civil Air Patrol), MARS (Military Affiliate Radio System), Special Emergency Radio Service, Citizens Band including REACT (Radio Emergency Associated Communications Team), and others. Skilled and dedicated people, licensed and unlicensed, can be recruited to serve in one or more of four categories: administrative, management, technical and operations.

What is Ham Radio?

Amateur Radio (Ham Radio) is a popular hobby and service in which licensed Amateur Radio operators (hams) operate communications equipment.

What is Field Day!

ARRL Field Day is the single most popular on-the-air event held annually in the US and Canada. On the fourth weekend of June of each year, more than 35,000 radio amateurs gather with their clubs, groups or simply with friends to operate from remote locations.

Field Day is a picnic, a campout, practice for emergencies, an informal contest and, most of all, FUN!

What is the N.T.S.?

The NTS is a relay messaging system developed for content accuracy. Whatever message is sent by way of the NTS, is received exactly as it was originated. There is no margin for error.

The National Traffic System consists of ARRL affiliated and independent amateur radio networks ('nets') which pass non-commercial messages on behalf of third parties as a public service. That's it in a nutshell.

NTS has been in operation since 1949. It was established by the ARRL in response to membership demand. It carries on a tradition of message relaying, established by Hiram Percy Maxim when he founded the ARRL for the purpose of handling message traffic in 1914.

Net Protocol, procedures and practices

In this article I am going to cover what an Amateur Radio Net is and good operating practices and procedures. Appropriate “net” practices and procedures is for the good of the net because there will better communications and less confusion between participating stations and the Net Control Operator, also between each participating stations. So that everyone participating will know everything happening on the net.

ARRL at 100: A Century of Ham Radio [ Video ]

The ARRL continues “To promote and advance the art, science and enjoyment of Amateur Radio.” By being an ARRL member you not only reflect the commitment and enthusiasm of American radio amateurs, or “hams,” but also provide leadership as the voice of Amateur Radio in the USA. The ARRL is all of us working together…

We celebrate Hidetsugu Yagi’s 130th birthday in Google

Today (January 28, 2016) we celebrate Hidetsugu Yagi’s 130th birthday, and thank him for keeping our television and radio signal coming in loud and clear. Because of the Yagi antenna, radios and televisions can receive stronger signals from a specific direction, which helps avoid interference from surrounding signals.

Using RG-59 or RG-6 CATV cable with an amateur radio antenna

As ham radio operators, we’re always looking for a way to save a buck. I’ll frequently dig through a free bin of part, hoping to scavenge something for the next project. This scavenger mentality extends to coax feed-line. High quality coax cable can be expensive. That’s why we love a deal when can find it. The cable television companies go through miles of coax cable on a daily basis. Often a ham can pick up free pieces and reel ends for pennies on the dollar. Or just take a trip through your local home improvement store and you’ll see 100 foot spools of 75 Ohm RG-6 for a fraction of the cost of similar 50 Ohm RG-8U.

Marconi sends first Atlantic wireless transmission – 12/12/1901

Italian physicist and radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi succeeds in sending the first radio transmission across the Atlantic Ocean, disproving detractors who told him that the curvature of the earth would limit transmission to 200 miles or less. The message–simply the Morse-code signal for the letter “s”–traveled more than 2,000 miles from Poldhu in Cornwall, England, to Newfoundland, Canada.

Antenna Gain Explained

I’m gonna take a confusing subject and hopefully demystify it. Antenna Gain is a popular subject amongst hams. We talk about gain all the time, we’ll compare antenna systems and apply values to as how impressive they are by their gain figures. But what exactly is antenna gain, and what do those numbers mean to me? I’ll take a non mathematical look at antenna gain and how it relates to performance.

What is the ARRL?

Founded in 1914 by Hiram Percy Maxim, ARRL (American Radio Relay League) is the national association for Amateur Radio in the US. Today, with more than 161,000 members, ARRL is the largest organization of radio amateurs in the world. ARRL's mission is based on five pillars: Public Service, Advocacy, Education, Technology, and Membership.

Radio Shack Bankruptcy Could Affect 16 Stores In Western Pa. Which could effect the Amateur Radio Community in Western Pa.

When should you get a ham license? Now!

When talking to preppers and emergency preparedness folks most understand that communication is a must during any emergency. Despite the fact that they will agree this is a must, very few have a solid communication plan in place beyond having a midland radio that they treat like walkie-talkies and still trusting in their cell phone for primary communication. Well I know I was guilty of it as well for a long time. Found every reason never do too much more than talk about how i am “going to” or “fixin to get” that taken care of.

This past January 2016, 71 years ago the first CQ Magazine was issued.

How Repeaters Work

What’s the most popular band and operation mode in amateur radio? If you guessed 2 meter VHF FM, you would be correct. As new hams, our first radio is usually a small handheld model. This is a great way to get started in ham radio and connect with other local hams. But your handheld radio would only be a fraction as useful if it wasn’t for repeaters.

Liquid antenna turns sea water into signal

The US Navy has created a device which turns a jet of sea water into an impromptu liquid antenna, creating a powerful, high frequency broadcast tower for ships, emergency situations and easy transportation.

Virginia’s Chesapeake Public School System introduces Amateur Radio into its electronics classrooms

John Bowser, W4RMY, a Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher at Great Bridge High School (GBHS), in Chesapeake, Virginia, is a man with a plan: to make Amateur Radio an official part of his school system’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) coursework. By developing a curriculum for his high school’s electronics classes that incorporates Amateur Radio concepts and hands-on experience, he wants to empower the next generation of technical professionals and innovators. “My teaching philosophy from the beginning was to provide students with a more hands-on and pragmatic learning experience that would give them skills that could be used throughout their lifetime,” says Bowser